OKLAHOMA CITY — Someone informed Zach Randolph about what was being said about him in the Oklahoma City Thunder locker room, and the Grizzlies' power forward shot back with a line as snappy as the one he put on the final statistical sheet.

Oklahoma City's scoring machine Kevin Durant basically called Randolph unstoppable and the best on the planet at his position.

"I've got to agree with that. Thanks, KD," a smiling Randolph said while sitting in front of a microphone as the interview room filled with laughter.

But a sellout crowd in Oklahoma City Arena spent slightly more than 2 hours Sunday failing to see the humor.

Randolph's feathery jump shot, and bump-and-grind scoring ability around the basket was on full display as he amassed a career playoff-high 34 points and 10 rebounds in leading the Griz to a 114-101 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Thunder.

Randolph bullied his way around the paint and his low-post sidekick, Marc Gasol, added more muscle (20 points, 13 rebounds) to the Griz, snatching away home-court advantage by imposing their will and brand of basketball.

"It's winning time," Gasol said. "This is who we are. We're going to lose or win being who we are."

So much for the Thunder's length with Serge Ibaka and brute with Kendrick Perkins giving the Grizzlies' frontline trouble. In taking a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven series, the Griz simply did what they led the NBA in during the regular season. They racked up a 52-38 advantage in points in the paint and controlled the glass.

"That's our game. We just tried to do what we do," Griz coach Lionel Hollins said. "We got to the point where teams have tried to take it away from us and we've tried to do different things, but I can't explain it. This is what we do, play inside-out."

At one point, Hollins paused as he seemed to run out of words to describe his team's burgeoning confidence.

"I'm tired and excited at the same time," Hollins said.

His players hardly seemed drained, even after finishing off the San Antonio Spurs in an emotional Game 6 last Friday night in FedExForum. Shane Battier said the quick turnaround actually helped the Griz because it kept their momentum going.

"We felt so good after the Spurs game," Battier said, "that we just wanted to keep playing."

No one epitomizes the Grizzlies' zeal more than Randolph. He scored the team's first seven points in a game in which the Griz only last trailed 4-2 moments after the opening tip.

From there, the Griz methodically built a double-digit lead that reached 16 when Randolph buried a wide-open 3-pointer late in the second quarter.

"You can not stop him," said Durant, who led the Thunder with 33 points. "You have to make him take tough shots. He is the go-to guy. He gets into position and gets to where he wants to be. ... We must help those guys (Ibaka and Perkins) out more."

Gasol, meanwhile, was left open for several 15-foot attempts that he connected on with ease.

There were times when the Thunder opted to defend Randolph with the taller Perkins. That didn't slow Randolph down, either. He either created space for mid-range shots or drove right by Perkins to the rim.

"This whole season teams have put their tallest guy on me or the longest guy, so I'm used to just about everything," Randolph said. "It really doesn't matter. I'm just trying to be aggressive and get to my spots."

It was just the third time this season that Gasol and Randolph scored 20-plus points in the same game. They did it once in the regular season and the second time was Game 1 of the Spurs' series.

"We have to throw different things at them," Brooks said, "and we will."

The Grizzlies played to all of their strengths, which included forcing 18 turnovers for 23 points. Their lead was 57-47 at halftime. A Durant 3-pointer was later part of a 7-0 Thunder run that trimmed the Grizzlies' advantage to three.

Randolph answered with a quick strike at the rim, and the Griz powered their way to an 84-71 lead to start the fourth quarter.

Memphis' lead swelled to 17 points early in the final frame. The Griz made 12 free throws in the final three minutes to seal the victory.

"We've shown a lot of growth in that area. Guys are not getting rattled," Griz point guard Mike Conley said. "We understand teams are going to make runs. I'm proud of the way we came out and of the way we finished. We're just in a good rhythm right now."